London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2018 was an event in its own right,
with beautiful shows, several examples of experimental fashion, a final
goodbye to one of the UK's most celebrated designers as well an appearance
from her Majesty, who attended emerging designer Richard's Quinn show. While some emerging
designer labels strived to continue to develop their own unique aesthetic,
other more established talents took the time to strengthen their brand's
DNA and some even shifted their brand in an entirely new direction. As the
industry continues to evolve, FashionUnited shares its selection of 5
upcoming designers who took their collections to the next level for
Autumn/Winter 2018.

Fyodor Golan explores the power of aerodynamics

For Autumn/Winter 2018 the design duo behind Fyodor Golan, Fyodor Podgorny,
and Golan Frydman, sought to explore the idea of aerodynamics. Best known
for their vibrant use of color and edgy sportswear-inspired silhouettes,
the duo looked to billowing hot air balloons, thick woven ropes and the
motion of flight for inspiration. This resulted in a collection which was
full of juxtapositions - such as cropped crochet capes combined with tech
fabrications which mimic a billowing balloon and the sleeves and legs of
bright tracksuits which opened to reveal soft silk layers. The work from
American conceptual artist Jean Baldessari influenced the designers'
placement of color in the collection, which is seen in bold blocks on
neutral pieces and blended on different materials. Rainbow stripes, always
a key identifier from Fyodor Golan, can see been throughout the
collection but they have been re-ordered and restructured. Rather than just
placing them on the garments themselves, the rainbows have also hidden in
the lining of a coat or in the slit of a leg so they can only be seen
during movement, offering a surprise splash of color.

The design duo referenced vintage sportswear once more, but reworked it and
modernized it by mixing reflective tech fabrics with faux suede, faux fur
and crochet to add a hint of luxury. A first for the designers, Fyodor
Golan also collaborated with MTV, placing the iconic 90s music channel logo
on patches placed on puffer jackets or crocheting it onto oversized
sweaters. The collaboration was designed to reflect the brand's associative
nostalgia and contemporary pop-image into ready-to-wear, which it certainly
did. Some of the most wearable items from the collection included Fyodor
Golan’s oversized MTV jumpers and a cropped bomber-style jacket featuring
MTV logo sleeves. "MTV has been the voice of youth cultures for decades, we
wanted to embrace this and the memories of our teenage years," said
Podgorny and Frydman in a statement. "This collaboration combines the
iconic pop culture symbol with the vibrancy and bright colours of today's
MTV." With inflatable planets and golden orbs decorating the runway, it is
clear that the designers aim to lift their brand to new heights this season
with this collection - and judging by the positive reactions surrounding
the emergence of the floating, billowing skirts they seemed to have done
just that.

Marta Jakubowski celebrates the power of women

Polish designer Marta Jakubowski chose to reflect her own personal journey
towards womanhood in her AW18 collection while paying homage to her late
mother. This resulted in a strong, yet very wearable collection full of 90s
throwbacks, including the sharply-tailored power suit - complete with
shoulder pads and nipped in waists, the professional dresses with ruffles
to the maxi and longline cashmere coats. "It's all about my woman. She
exists somewhere in my head and is growing every season," said Marta
Jakubowski in a statement. However, the colors and the silhouettes of her
designs were modernized to suit the demands of working women today. She
incorporated adaptable mix and match separates, party dresses as well as
reconstructed trousers suits which featured different styled jackets that
were both business and sensual at the same time. Some jacket lapels and
dresses were low cut, showing off the vibrant and lacey undergarments worn
underneath to celebrate the female body as Jakubowski believes her woman
does not see ambition and sexuality as mutually exclusive.

The collection's colour palette featured neutral colors like taupe and
incorporated soft tones like mint, lilac and evergreen together with
contrasting red, tartan and pink. She also revisited signature pieces, such
as the trouser-skirt with tulle underlay and the seam split jean. The show
itself seemed to capture the essence of the 90s power women, as models
smiled to the audience, posed with their hands on their hips and flounced
down the runway in a very old-school modeling type of way to Whitney
Houston's 'I'm Every Woman.' A versatility and incredibly wearable
collection, it also taps into the sentiments of our times. In the age of
#MeToo and ongoing pay discrimination against women, it is pleasing to see
a collection which references a time when women strived to be seen as equal
to men and donned their executive-uniforms in a sign of equality. Although
we may still be facing same battles that our aunts, mothers, and sisters
did in the past, it is hopeful to see these issues being reflected in
fashion 30 laters later.

Alice Archer takes a romantic, floral flight of fancy

It is evident that Alice Archer looked to winter florals and fruits for
inspiration for her Autumn/Winter 2018 collection, as her designs were
covered in snowdrops, white and purple anemones, winter jasmine and myrtle
as well as a cocktail of cranberries, elderberries, and oranges. Other art
influences which can be seen in her work include painter Gustav Klimt, the
Whistler and Botticelli's 'Primavera.' Renowned for her embroidery skills,
which she honed while working at Dries van Noten, the collection sees
Archer elevate her talents through her precise sequin work, silk shading
embroidery and printing on top of embroidery with life-sized oil paintings
of white anemones and citrus fruit painted by the designer herself.
Although the collection mainly focuses on evening wear and includes long,
flowing evening cocktail dresses with frilled hems or fine tulle layered
over prints, there also also two-piece sets, A-line coats as well as kimono
styled-wrap coat.

Stand out pieces from the collection include an a voluminous cape covered
in embroidered snowdrops and a dark floral gown, featuring purple and
fuchsia anemones with fine-tulle embroidered layer and deep v-back. Waists
and backs are emphasized throughout the collection, as Archer made sure no
little detail is missing. Exposed buttons are covered to match the silk and
duchess satin used and girly ribbons draw attention to high waistlines. The
static presentation gave the audience plenty of time to fully admire all
the little touches that went into creating the romantic, wintry collection,
and if the AW18 is a true reflection of the designer's current stage in
life, then she must be in very secure and content place in her life.

Faustine Steinmetz moves beyond denim to archetypes

Parisian born designer Faustine Steinmetz moved beyond denim for her
collection 011, choosing to work around a series of archetypes instead of
her usual experimentation with denim fabrics and weaving. The collection
saw Steinmetz deconstruction and reinterpret 10 iconic pieces from the
typical Parisian wardrobe, such the classic Burberry trench coat, the silk
shirt, Levi's 501, the cable knit jumper and Hermès silk scarf. The show
opened with a number of sleeveless denim jackets, tucked into high-waisted
jeans which at a quick glance could be a denim jumpsuit. The collar of the
denim jackets were replaced with oversize mint-colored silk panels, for a
80s touch. Mint-colour silk was used throughout the collection in dress,
shorts and blouses.

Steinmetz reworks the current trend surrounding biking-lycra shorts,
presenting denim shorts, as well as textured, felted shorts. Highlights
from the collection include her reinterpretation of the trenchcoat, which
is reflected in a simple mac, a crushed textured trench coat as well as a
monogrammed, knitted mohair blanket coat. The silk scarf is also
progressive reimagines and seen in the form of a scarf before transforming
into wrap silk skirt, a scarf top and finally a silk top featuring
Swarovski beading. While the show successfully managed to showcase the
designers evolution of each item, it did not give viewers chance to see
Steinmetz textile experimentations up close.

Edeline Lee reflects on her secret garden

Edeline Lee momentarily transported viewers to her own secret garden for
her Autumn/Winter 2018 collection presentation. Staged at the BFC show
space, the immersive presentation saw the designer transform the space into
her version of Eve's garden, complete with a grass carpet, trees and
sculpted greenery which served as the perfect backdrop for the collection
monastics silhouettes. Inspired by the dark and secret gardens within
herself, the designer reworked some of her signature fabrics, such as the
Flou Bubble Jacquard as well as her Georgette Champion dresses for AW18,
while experimenting with new styles. A dark, yet romantic collection,
colours were rich and jewelled, with deep purples, red, navy, amber green
and black with a touch of white.

Stand out pieces included a flowing floral jacquard coat in thick wool and
floor-length floral coats which closed at the navel, with matching wide
legged trousers. Silhouettes were long and modest, with lengths of fabric
draped into lush folds and flounces. “The woman is turning inward and she’s
grounded and contemplating,” said Lee on her muse for this season to WWD.